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Friday, 28 October 2016

Today I have the pleasure of bringing you something that you might well be in the mood for in the run up to Halloween. Author Colette Saucier has dropped by to share a guest post with us relating to her series of books that imagines Mr Darcy as a vampire. The first book, 'Pulse and Prejudice' imagines that Austen's Darcy was actually a vampire, and hiding it. 'Dearest Bloodiest Elizabeth' is the sequel, and sees the Darcys settling into married life. I'll share the book blurb with you, and then I'll hand over to Colette for her guest post. There is a giveaway as part of this book tour too, details below!

His story continues in Dearest Bloodiest Elizabeth, the lurid, lusty sequel to Pulse and Prejudice, as death shadows the newlywed Darcys from Pemberley to the parlors of Regency London to the courtyards of Antebellum New Orleans. As Elizabeth discovers the trials and travails of marriage to a vampire, can Darcy ever believe that she loves him as he is? Or will his jealousy tear them apart?

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THE PASSION OF MR. DARCY, VAMPIRE - Guest post by Colette L Saucier

During a book tour, I will be invited to write several guest blog post. The problem I have is coming up with good—and original!—ideas. So this time, I put the question to my street team and received excellent feedback. One suggestion was for me to describe how, in The Confession of Mr. Darcy, Vampire, Books 1 & 2, I am able to maintain the character of Mr. Darcy created by Jane Austen in Pride and Prejudice, yet made him so much more passionate. Another was to explain why my vampire Darcy is so jealous. I think that these two topics go hand in hand.

Mr. Darcy is more passionate in his thoughts and his behavior in Pulse and Prejudice because, frankly, Miss Austen let him be! Not only does he stalk Elizabeth Bennet whenever he is around her, rarely speaking but always staring, admiring her form, her eyes, the liveliness of her complexion; but he also admits it in his letter to her that he put aside her lower social status due to his “utmost force of passion.” Now that’s something I can work with! (Plus, if anyone has ever seen the Colin Firth miniseries, his gaze is smoldering!)

I wrote Book 1 in the series as a complete adaptation of the original novel (no prior knowledge of Pride and Prejudice is needed) but primarily from Mr. Darcy’s point of view as if Miss Austen had always conceived his character as a vampire but just kept it her little secret. Think about it: He is dark and brooding, suave and debonair, like any self-respecting vampire should be. He does not interact well with mortals, admitting, "I cannot catch their tone of conversation." He wants nothing to do with the good people of Meryton until he fixates on Elizabeth, and then he usually just stares at her or hovers as she converses with others. He consistently misinterprets “human emotions,” such as Jane’s feelings for Bingley and Elizabeth's feelings for him. Jane Austen’s Darcy is both predatory (he was able to track down Wickham and Lydia in the bustling metropolis of London, and he always knew how to find Elizabeth on her rambles around Rosings) and seductive. Although Elizabeth had declared him the last man in the world she could be prevailed upon to marry, eventually he overwhelms her resistance and brings about a complete reversal of her feelings.

The truth of the matter is that Mr. Darcy appears rarely in Pride and Prejudice, which is in fact Elizabeth Bennet’s story, and frequently doesn’t say or do anything. That provided me with plenty of gaps to fill in. As I worked on a complete character analysis of Miss Austen’s Darcy, I found that he is used to getting his way. We hear it from Colonel Fitzwilliam who tells Elizabeth, “I am at his disposal. He arranges the business just as he pleases,” and “He likes to have his own way very well.” Later, he confesses to Elizabeth, “I have been a selfish being all my life, in practice, though not in principle. As a child I was taught what was right, but I was not taught to correct my temper…Unfortunately an only son (for many years an only child), I was spoilt by my parents, who, though good themselves, allowed, encouraged, almost taught me to be selfish.” When he first proposes to Elizabeth, he does so by framing his offer in insults because he just expects she will accept.

So that accounts for his jealousy. He’s spoiled and accustomed to having his own way, and for people to do as he wishes. Then his selfishness leads to possessiveness, which can ultimately develop into covetousness or jealousy—especially regarding someone for whom he harbors such passionate feelings.

In Pulse and Prejudice, I hint at his possessive nature in the section entitled “Beyond Pride and Prejudice.” (I have several original characters, including Lord Calmet and his mother’s dog Amadeus.)

Lord Calmet joined Elizabeth on the settee with only Amadeus between them. Fitzwilliam rattled on with news of their relations; but Darcy focused on Calmet, gawking at Elizabeth—how her smiles encouraged him. He seemed to be entertaining her with tales of the dog as they both stroked the animal, that happily panting conspirator. She laughed with Calmet but offered Darcy only an uncomfortable, furtive glance.

Then in Dearest Bloodiest Elizabeth, he repeatedly demonstrates both his passion and his possessiveness for Elizabeth as his new bride. At a ball in New Orleans to welcome the Comtesse de Calmet, we see just a peek of what is boiling under the surface:

At the conclusion of the waltz, Darcy strode to his wife and grasped her hand before she returned to her seat. “And why, dear wife, were you dancing in my cousin’s arms?”

She smiled, but her eyes crinkled as her brows drew together. “With his injury? Fitzwilliam cannot perform a contredanse. He needed to lean upon me.”

“And why does not his betrothed perform this service?”

She wrenched her hand from his grip and gaped at him. “The Comtesse danced with General Humbert! If Fitzwilliam can tolerate her waltzing with another man, on my word, you cannot possibly take issue with his dancing with me.”

His jaw tightened as he glared towards where Fitzwilliam had resumed his seat.

With a raised eyebrow she added, “What is it, Mr. Darcy? Are there no young ladies tolerable enough to tempt you to stand up with them?”

He turned back to her with a grimace, thought to speak but then thought better of it.

“Good heavens! You know it is unseemly for an husband and a wife to dance together, but if it would mollify you and you will cease in this pouting, I shall save the next waltz for you; and you may hold me as improperly and possessively as you choose.”

With this, he would have to be satisfied.

So these excerpts demonstrate his possessiveness and jealousy when it comes to Elizabeth. For a full accounting of his passion, you’ll just have to read the books!

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Thank you so much, Colette, for this thought-provoking post and passionate excerpt! Smouldering indeed!

About the Author:

Colette Saucier is a bestselling and award-winning author under multiple pseudonyms. She began writing poems, short stories, and novellas in grade school. Her interest in literature led her to marry her college English professor, but eventually a love of history encouraged her to trade up to a British historian. Technical writing dominated her career for twenty years, but finding little room for creativity in that genre, she is now a full-time author of fiction from noir (The Widow) to the bizarre (Withering Frights, 2017).

Pulse and Prejudice was named “A Most Inventive Adaptation” by Elle Magazine (April, 2016). It was the 1st Place Winner in its category in the 2013 Chatelaine Awards Romantic Fiction Contest and is listed in Chanticleer’s 2013 Best Book Listing. Colette dedicated 15 months traveling to Europe and Britain, researching Regency England and vampire lore and literature.

Colette was selected a “2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award” Semi-finalist and named “Debut Author of the Year” by Austenprose for All My Tomorrows—now expanded and republished as The Proud and the Prejudiced—which was also chosen Austenesque Reviews “Favorite Modern Adaptation.”

Colette’s romantic thriller Alicia’s Possession was the publisher’s #1 Bestselling Romantic Suspense for 4 straight weeks following its debut in June of 2013 and then again in January, 2014, after being voted a “Top Ten Romance Novel of 2013” (P&E Reader’s Poll). Colette is also the author of the controversial and erotic noir romantic suspense The Widow, an Amazon bestselling new release and Kobo bestseller.

Due to her obsession with historical accuracy, she devoted more than two years researching Creole Society and New Orleans in the years following the War of 1812 for the sequel to Pulse and Prejudice, entitled Dearest Bloodiest Elizabeth.

Colette lives in a lakeside community in South Louisiana with her historian husband and their two dogs. When not writing or researching for her next novel, she enjoys wine, reading, and cooking gourmet meals with her husband and with pups underfoot.

Boy, these look intriguing! I've had some eye problems, but it would be really swell to win this gorgeous copy and have it to look forward to. Thank you for the opportunity. Love the whole 'trading up' bio details. HA Congratulations on that, and all the writing kudos. wow. Karylee Marin

Yeah, my ex-husband wasn't too thrilled by that! What can I say? I'd learned enough from him! LOL!Karylee, with your eye problems, if you have not read Pulse & Prejudice yet, I wanted you to know that it is available on audiobook. The narrator is FANTASTIC! Not only does he provide great voices for the entire cast of Miss Austen's story, but he is also great as both a prostitute and a dwarf dhampir! (When I was proof-listening to it, at one point he gave me chills - and I wrote the damn thing!) I am hoping he would be willing to do Dearest Bloodiest Elizabeth as well, but only if he can master an Antebellum New Orleans Creole accent!

Thanks for commenting, Karylee. We are lucky these days in that there is so much more available on Audio these days, as well as adjustable font size in ebooks so I hope you have still been able to read despite your eye problems.

I love this post! Colette, I think you have great ideas and your points are so valid!! Thank you for explaining the jelousy point. I was so annoyed at some points with Darcy while reading DBE! My review will be done this weekened :)

Haha! Yes, Ana was one of the readers who helped me find a blog topic!If you want to read her review of DBE, it is posted both on Amazon (thank you very much!) and her own website, along with a review of Book 1: Pulse & Prejudice:https://myvicesandweaknesses.wordpress.com/2016/10/29/review-of-dearest-bloodiest-elizabeth-by-colette-l-saucier/

About Me

I've loved reading for as long as I can remember. I usually read romance, both historical and contemporary but I'm not usually a big fan of chick-lit. My favourite author is Jane Austen, and I really enjoy reading stories inspired by her work. I also love many of the works of L M Montgomery, Georgette Heyer and Mrs Gaskell, amongst others.